Day # 9: Icefields Parkway

Traveled in British Columbia
Weather:   High temp: 70      Low temp: 36              Cloudy to partly cloudy

We had a great day traveling across the Icefields Parkway.  Our first stop was the Columbia Icefield, where we had some lunch and then went for a short hike.  We brought the dog with us (he was so happy to finally be allowed to go somewhere with us!) and climed a steep, snowy hill up to the base of the glacier.  Along the way, there were markers showing how much further down the mountain the base of the glacier was in years past.  In 1844, it was all the way across the street at the visitor's center!

After the glacier adventure, we visited several waterfalls before settling into our hotel.  We are staying here for two nights and are happy to have a room with a separate sleeping area for the kids, a kitchen (we cooked dinner in tonight!) and a view of the mountains right out our front window.  We plan to explore the town of Jasper tomorrow afternoon.  In the morning, we are going to hike somewhere nearby.  After lunch we have a rafting expedition planned on the Athabasca River.  It was really great to find a company that offers rafting for all ages!

I will only post a couple of photos today, for a couple of reasons.
1.  Our internet isn't very fast again.
2.  The mountains, lakes, and rivers here are so massive that a photo doesn't do them justice.  There is no way to capture their beauty or enormity! If there is one place in Canada that I would say to visit, this is it.  They call it the most beautiful highway in the world.

Athabasca Falls

Glacier in Columbia Icefield